The goodness of summer blooms is about to reach its peak! The lavender is buzzing with hundreds of bees. Every time I walk by the rows of aromatic lavender the bees swarm around me like a bee parade. I love it! My hydrangeas are not the bounty that I usually have, but I'm enjoying the pink and blue, white blooms and cutting stems to take to the shop. The pesky Japanese beetles have been seen here and there, and I pluck them off of my zinnias. Ever since I planted the lavender I don't have near the numbers. Before the lavender, there were hundreds eating away, and now that the lavender grows near, I've only had a half dozen or so. So, if you have Japanese beetles attacking, grow lavender. I don't think they like it and will move onto your neighbor's yard. Sorry neighbors. The large pink lilies are starting to wither. I took some cuttings from them too. I ordered these several years ago from a garden catalog simply because the description talked about how fragrant they were. I consider it a perk when a flower smells good and is pretty at the same time!
I wrapped up the last of our summer soap manufacturing on Wednesday by making a fragrant white jasmine soap or soaps I should say. Before that, peach. I love peach soap. It might sound strange but when I was a young girl there was a dish soap that smelled like a peach. My family didn't have it, but whenever I visited my best friend's house they did and I loved the scent. It wasn't a strong peach, but mellow and nice to even a young girl's nose. It really has been all about scent for as long as I can remember. It makes perfect sense that my future would be entangled with fragrance.
Usually, a spice soap is reserved for winter, but I'm on this star anise kick lately. The spice is nice blended with vanilla. I even mixed a dry oil with these two fragrances, and I love it! Just as your taste changes with design so too does it change with scent. There are scents that I never liked when I was younger but absolutely love them now.
I'll have to shout it on the roof! The new Minty Watermelon Scrub smells fresh and very much reminds me of summer. It was a new formulation that I'd never made before, and I quickly discovered that this skincare essential is labor intense to make. It might have something to do with the fact that I double, doubled the recipe, and ended up with an enormous amount of product that was hard to maneuver. There are several steps involved that help you to appreciate and understand the word anticipation as well. I'll make a few minor changes and this new amazing polish will be available as a seasonal offering. We'll continue to offer it but it won't be around all of the time. This big eight-ounce jar should last you the remaining of summer. I'm already pondering a fall scrub, and I'm leaning towards Pumpkin Spice. Bittersweet pumpkin spice smells amazing! I'm not even a pumpkin spice fan, but I love our pumpkin spice. When? Probably late September, or early October.
Every summer when the fourth rolls around I find myself saying it's here already! Once it arrives I'm reminded of just how short-lived all the seasons are, and how in turn time flies.
Our Holiday Soap manufacturing kicks in once the calendar turns to July! We've already planned our holiday soap scents and have our supply of fragrances sitting in the studio.
I'm wishing you a peaceful Independence day. America, the beautfiul! Don't ever let anyone say that she's not. Well, they can say it all they want, but it wouldn't be true. Our country is unlike any other in ways that are complex and above all filled with sacrifice and determination. Honesty and grit come to mind as well. If you study history you will have a better understanding, and might even find yourself wanting to learn more. Without our founding fathers and the insight they possessed, we would not be America, home of the brave. I would highly suggest that anyone that feels like America is not a good place to be should study history. There you will find an entirely new perspective, I promise. You will also have a better understanding of how America today has changed. I'm a history lover! I cannot lie!
This rainy morning is quiet and slow the way that I like them to be.
Three cheers to America I salute you!
Jill
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